The Festival kicked off this year with a special one-time performance on October 23. Leslie Vincent Presents: A Monster and Mayhem Cabaret was a terrific evening of spooky, murdery jazz tunes performed by local cabaret goddess and former TCHF producer Vincent and a terrific band.
The set list included standards like "That Old Black Magic" and Halloween tunes like "I Put a Spell On You" as well as some more offbeat choices and a few original tunes. Vincent was joined by her The Champagne Drops partner Emily Dussault for a few tunes, including a teaser for the duo's holiday shows at MetroNOME Brewing in December. Having seen them last year at the History Theater, we can guarantee this will be a must-see show.
As always, Vincent's take on cabaret tunes is delightful and a bit offbeat. She's backed up by a strong ensemble of Ted Godbout on piano, Sophia Kaufmann on bass, Ben Erlich on drums, and Mitch Van Laar on trumpet. Vincent said she's been wanting to do this show for a long time, so we hope she'll bring it back in a future season.